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Surviving the ravages of time and war

Last Summer when Darrell and I were browsing through the Asheboro Farmers Market, we took a short detour from the tomatoes and half-runners to check out William Ivey’s Antiques & Pottery shop around the corner on Church Street.

Having recently learned that his great-great-great-grandfather was Jesse Jordan, a potter in Moore County in the mid-1800s, Darrell wanted to see if Ivey had any of his ancestor’s works. The semi-retired Asheboro attorney is well known for his love of historical lore and collecting the furniture, pottery and longrifles our Piedmont forebears crafted with such skill.

Ivey did have Jesse Jordan pottery — and he was most gracious to let Darrell hold a pitcher, pointing out the distinctive pattern around the rim made by a coggle wheel, a small tool that has the design stamped on it and is rolled over the clay to raise the pattern. On the bottom was stamped “Jordan.”

“Would you like to see a picture of Jesse Jordan?” Ivey asked.

Indeed, we would.

Using a magnifying glass, we studied the bearded, weathered face to see if any of the features had passed down through the generations to Darrell. We decided there was a little resemblance around the nose and the shape of the head (or maybe that was the power of suggestion).

For an added treat, Ivey produced the actual coggle wheel and stamp Jesse used in making his pottery. He told us he had once owned the chair and table where Jesse turned out his jugs, pitchers and cemetery urns but had donated them to the N.C. Pottery Center in Seagrove.

He also possessed the Bible Jesse received when he joined the Confederate Army, the latter an item in Ivey’s impressive Confederate collection about which you will be reading in this issue of Thrive. In a salute to the American Civil War’s ongoing 150th anniversary observation, we are focusing on local people and places that have a tie to the War between the States.

As Ivey likes to say:

“We Southerners are not trying to relive the war, but we do believe in the preservation of artifacts.”

As the descendant of a Confederate soldier/potter, Darrell is happy Jesse’s handiwork survived the ravages of time and war, thanks to the efforts of individuals like Bill Ivey.